“Don't be afraid.  I'm not going to hurt you.”  

She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, that deep, gravelly voice rocking her to her core.  Before she could respond, he put two fingers to her forehead. She felt a warmth within her whole body, and then nothing.  No pain.  It was all gone.  She looked up at her mystery savior, and then everything went black...

She awoke to the sun shining in her face.  She flinched as she opened her eyes to the bright sun.  As she snapped out of her sleep-induced haze, she took in her surroundings.  She was laying in a bed in a room she had never seen before.  Suddenly, memories of the night before came flooding back to her.  Someone had tied her to a chair and tortured her.  For what, she had no idea.  She was just reading in her apartment, and the next thing she knew, she was tied to a chair, her clothes soaked in blood.  But, all she could remember was the man who saved her and those amazing blue eyes as he took all of her pain away.  She shot up and threw her legs over the edge of the bed.  She looked down at her body.  Her bloody, ripped clothes were gone.  She was wearing an over-sized t shirt and a pair of boxers. What the hell? She pulled the collar of the t shirt away from her neck and looked under it.  Her wounds were gone.  Not a damn scratch.  Okay...I'm going insane. Awesome. She looked around the unfamiliar room, looking for a weapon.  Someone had taken her out of that hell hole, but that meant that someone had brought her here.  And she was going to find out who.  She spotted a baseball bat leaning against a dresser across from the door.  She got out of the bed, stretching her stiff muscles, and grabbed the bat. All right, dammit.  Time to get the hell out of here.  She held the bat up defensively and slowly turned the door knob.  She walked down the hallway, the fluffy socks she was wearing making her movements absolutely silent.  Her grip tightened around the bat as she heard voices.  They got louder as she moved.  She peered around the corner as silently as she could and her breathing stopped.  She saw three men standing in what looked like a kitchen.  They were huddled up in a circle, speaking in hushed tones.  She recognized the one that was facing her direction.  He was tall, his shoulders set back as he glared at the two men in front of him.  The way he stood, she knew he meant business.  He had on a tan trench coat that billowed around his knees as he moved.  Underneath, he wore a white button down shirt with a blue tie that was backwards.  She would laugh at the sight if she weren't scared out of her mind.  She willed herself to stop gawking at the man in front of her and listened to what they were saying.

“Okay, she's going to wake up soon, and I am sure that she is going to freak out, so what do we do?” the tallest of the group asked.

“Hell, don't ask me.  Feathers here is the one who brought her here,” one of the other men said.  He had short brown hair and was slightly shorter than the first one.  They both looked at the man in the trench coat and she furrowed her brows in confusion.  Feathers? He looked between both of them with an annoyed expression on his face. He sighed and finally spoke up.

I told you, Dean, she was scared and unconscious.  I couldn't just leave her there.” She gasped.  They were talking about her.  What the hell was going on? She'd  had enough of eavesdropping.  She took a deep breath and stepped out of her hiding place, the bat she was holding high over her head.  All three of them turned around to look at her, amusement in their eyes as she swung the bat at the empty air.  The tallest of the three stepped forward with a smile on his face.

“Whoa, there. It's all ri-HEY!” he ducked just in time to dodge the bat that nearly hit him straight in the face.

“Stay back!” she said.  Her eyes were wide with fear, her grip on the bat so tight, her knuckles were turning white. The man by the name of Dean stepped forward slowly, his hands up in surrender. He was stifling a laugh at the look on the tall man's face.

“All right, sweetheart. Let's just calm down. My name is Dean.  You got a name?”

She looked at him with a hard expression, not backing down.  He still had his hands up as he held her gaze.  He had beautiful green eyes and ridiculously long eye lashes.  She had to admit, he was kind of gorgeous.  He smiled slightly and she relaxed a little, the bat lowering only a bit. He took that as a good sign, one hand still in the air and the other slowly reaching for the bat.  Her grip lingered for a moment as he tried to take it from her, but his reassuring gaze made her release it.  Her arms dropped to her sides as she let out the breath she didn't know she was holding.

“Uh...C-Carrie. My name is Carrie.” Dean smiled and held out his hand.

“Hi, Carrie. I'm Dean.” she hesitated, staring at his hand before slowly taking it. “This is my brother, Sam. The one you almost nailed with a bat.” he laughed at that as he gestured to the tall man to Carrie's right.  He smiled at her and she somehow felt guilty for almost hitting him.  He held out his hand and she took it a little more confidently.

“Nice to meet you, Carrie.  I'm sorry if we scared you.  But I can assure you, there's nothing to be afraid of.  We are your friends.”

She smiled slightly, fear slowly slipping away.  They weren't going to kill her.

An awkward silence fell over the room and suddenly; she felt like she was being watched. She turned around to face the man that was standing behind her.  His eyes had never left her since the minute she made her presence known. But he had yet to say a word.  She cleared her throat and it seemed to snap him out of whatever trance he was in.

“You...” she said quietly. Wow, Carrie...Eloquent.  He looked up at her again with a small smile on his face.  A blush rose up to her cheeks as she looked at him.  Good lord, he was beautiful. His jaw was sharp, defined with just a hint of stubble.  His hair was dark and disheveled, like he had just rolled out of bed.  And, God, it was the sexiest thing she had ever seen.  Before he could catch her gawking at him, she look away quickly.  His gaze was still on her though, and everywhere his eyes went, a jolt of electricity followed. Then, that voiced hit her like a ton of bricks.

“Hello, Carrie. My name is Castiel.  And I am an angel of the Lord.”

She laughed slightly and looked at the other two.  They shrugged and looked at him, shaking their heads. Great...he's crazy. Just when I thought things couldn't get any stranger. “I can assure you, I am not crazy.”

Carrie whipped her head back to face him. Her eyes widened slightly.

“I-...Did I say that out loud?”

“Dude!” Dean said. “What did I say about the mind reading!” Castiel ignored Deans comment and looked at Carrie again.

“Apologies, Carrie.  But I can assure you that I am telling the truth.”  She started at him incredulously.  She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again.  She was completely shocked.

“Okay...so you're an angel...I guess that explains why my cuts are gone?” Castiel simply nodded his head, still looking at her.  It seemed like he was trying to gauge her reaction, which even she didn't exactly know.  She bit her lip, concentrating on not freaking out.  She took a deep breath and looked into those blue eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time.  God, those eyes.  She had never seen eyes so blue in all her life.  They were going to be the death of her...

“Well then... Castiel, was it? Thank you for saving me.” she held out her hand and he took it.  It was everything in her not to gasp at the feeling of his hand in hers.  What was happening? She had just met this man, surly she didn't already have the hots for him.  And he was an angel! Wasn't that like a sin or something? She was pulled out of her psycho babble by Deans voice.

“Uh...do we need to leave you two alone or...” She snapped out of it and looked at Dean, who had an amused look on his face.  Carrie snatched her hand away from Castiel and stepped away from him.  

“Sorry...uh, look, thanks for everything.  Really, it means a lot.  But, I think I should be going...” She bit her lip again, a nervous tick that she had, and looked between the three of them.  They all seemed to have guilty expressions on their faces and she narrowed her eyes.

“Yeah, about that...you kind of...can't leave.” Sam, who hadn't spoken for quite some time, stepped forward.  She took a step back, panic setting in.

“W-why not? I thought you said-” “Okay, okay, calm down.  We meant it when we said we won't hurt you.  But that thing that attacked you yesterday?  That was a demon.  And the son of a bitch got away.  So, until we find it and kill it, this is the safest place for you.” She shook her head, not wanting to believe him.  Angels and demons? They weren't real.  She must be in some kind of crazy dream.  She'll wake up soon.

“Carrie, this is not a dream.  This is very real, and you should listen to Dean. You'll be safe here.” Castiel's voice washed over her and brought her out of her thoughts.  He was reading her mind again.   She looked at him, almost pleading with him to help her understand.

“A-a demon? A freaking demon?!” She started breathing heavily, nearly hyperventilating. “I need to sit down...” They all moved out of her way as she went for the closest chair to her.

“Look, Carrie, I know this is hard to believe but think about it.  What do you remember?” Sam was talking to her, but it was hard to focus on him with the ringing in her ears.  She wracked her now throbbing head for memories of last night.

“I-uh...I was at my apartment, about to go to bed for the night when I heard glass shattering.  I grabbed my gun out of my nightstand and went to check it out, and before I knew it, I was thrown across the room and then I blacked out...I don't remember much after that.”

“Okay...that's good.  Did you see what he looked like? Did you notice anything...off?”  Carrie pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a long sigh.

“I was focusing more of the knife he was dragging across my skin...” she attempted to glare up at Sam, but his face remained reassuring, so she decided to cooperate.  “Fine...um...he had these black eyes...It was unlike anything I have ever seen.  And when he bound and gagged me...he didn't even touch me.  The ropes just moved on their own...but I was so out of it, I just thought I was seeing things.  I never thought that it could have been real...This can't be real...”

“Sorry, sweetheart, but it is most definitely real.  But don't you worry your pretty little head about it.” He smiled and winked at her, his eyes raking over her body.  She blushed and looked away, noticing out of the corner of her eyes that Castiel's eyes narrowed at Dean.

“Dean, that is inappropriate.” he said. Dean looked at him and shrugged innocently. “Carrie, this bunker is warded against demons.  It's the only place where they cannot get to you.  Please let us keep you safe.”  She looked up at the angel in shock.  His eyes looked so sincere.  He made her feel like it was his life's mission to make sure nothing happened to her.  She had no idea why she was so drawn to this complete stranger, but, somehow, he made her feel safe.  She stood up from her chair, which had her standing right in front of him.  She looked into his eyes again and could only manage to get out one word.

“Okay...”

Three Months Later

Carrie had been living at the bunker for three months.  They killed the demon within the week of her being there, but within that week, she also found out about the “Winchester Family Business”.  All the things that she had feared as a child...the monsters under her bed...were real.  There was no way in hell she was going back to her empty apartment, alone.  It's not like she had much to go home to anyway.  Her parents died in a car accident when she was fifteen. They were all she had, so she had been on her own since then.  So, after a week of having a nice, warm bed, a place to actually call home, and people around her that seemed to care about her, she found herself not wanting to leave.  The Winchesters were more than happy to let her stay, and for that she was so grateful.

She woke up with a smile on her face, something that hadn't happened in a very long time.  She got out of bed and headed to the kitchen, surprised to find it empty.  The boys had just come back from a hunt, a huge vampire nest.  It was pretty rough, so she didn't blame them for still being in bed.  She looked down at her stomach as it made a loud gurgling noise.

“Breakfast.” she said as she rummaged around in the fridge.  She pulled out some eggs and bacon, smiling at the thought of getting to do something nice for them, even if it was as small as making them breakfast.  She grabbed her phone and put her music on shuffle, an upbeat melody playing through the speakers.  She couldn't help herself.  Her hips swayed to the music as she put the bacon on the burner.  She had no idea what had come over her, but she felt amazingly happy.  She laughed at herself as the music picked up, jumping around and singing to herself as the bacon cooked.  As she turned around to grab a spatula, she stopped dead in her tracks in embarrassment at what she found: Castiel leaning against the doorway, his arms folded. His eyes were on her, an amused smile on his face. A blush crossed her face, and she was sure it looked like a tomato. She turned her music off, her ears ringing slightly at the sudden silence.

“Cas! You scared the hell out of me!”  She tried to look angry, but one look at his face and she dissolved into a fit of laughter. Cas couldn't help but smile along with her.  He didn't smile often, but it seemed like he did more and more when Carrie was around.  

“I apologize.  I didn't mean to scare you, but I heard the music and was curious.” She bit her lip and blushed again as she turned around to finish cooking.  God this man (no, freaking angel!) got to her.  Just one look and she was putty in his hands.  

“I guess I forgive you.  Even though I think I'm going to die of embarrassment.” she laughed and turned around.  He tilted his head and had a confused look on his face.  

“Carrie, it is medically impossible for you to die from embarrassment.”  She laughed again and looked up at him.  He looked so serious, and it was the most adorable thing she had ever seen.

“I know, Cas.  It's just an expression.  I am not going to die.” Before she knew what she was doing, she put her hand on his shoulder. She had always been a touchy-feely kind of person.  But with Cas, she always kept her distance.  She guessed it had something to do with the giant crush she had formed on him.  So she had never really been this close to him.  It was slightly unnerving.  His eyes flicked to her hand on his shoulder and then back to her eyes.  She watched, almost in a trance as he brought his hand to rest on top of hers, a small smile gracing those beautiful lips. She bit her lip, and it didn't go unnoticed as his eyes traveled to her mouth for a split second.  She dragged her lip through her teeth and tried to pull her hand away, but his grip on her hand tightened, leaving it there.  She gasped and looked up at him.  There was something in his eyes that she couldn't quite pinpoint.  She could get lost in those eyes if she really wanted to.

“Cas, what-”  Before she could finish her sentence, the hand that was holding hers moved to hold her waist, and his other hand tangled into her hair.

“Carrie...” he was moving closer, and she stopped breathing. He's going to kiss me.  Holy shit, he's going to kiss me!  His lips were only an inch away from hers when she heard a voice say,

“Do I smell bacon?” Then his hands were out of her hair and he was across the room before she could even blink.  Damn you, Dean. She looked over to Cas, who was stifling a laugh as Dean walked by him  He knew that she wanted that kiss just as much as he did. She blushed profusely and turned around to make Dean a plate, Sam walking in right behind him.

What the hell just happened?! She was pacing her room, thinking about that almost-kiss.  It seemed to come out of nowhere.  She had known him for three months, and he had shown no signs of any kind attraction towards her.  Yes, they had become good friends.  Carrie had even been on a few hunts with all of them in the three months that she had been there.  The boys had been reluctant to train her, but she had convinced them that it was better than her being scared to even go outside.  So, now, she was a novice hunter.  Which meant that she had been spending a lot of time with them.  Especially Castiel.  The boys would always make him go with her when they had to split up.  As first, she was mad, not wanting him there as her babysitter.  But after a few times, she actually came to look forward to it.  She enjoyed his company, both on a hunt, and when they were just hanging out at the bunker.  But she had never expected him to return her feelings towards him.  She could still feel his hands in her hair.  She closed her eyes as she remembered his lips barely brushing hers before Dean interrupted them.  She had to talk to him before it drove her mad.  She stormed out of her room and made her way intently to the library, which was where the guys spent most of their time researching.  But to her disappointment, Cas was nowhere to be found.  The boys were lounging in the library, Dean watching TV, and Sam with a book in his lap, completely lost in it. She plopped down next to Dean, thinking maybe some TV would clear her mind until Cas showed up again.

“Hey, guys,” she said, propping her feet up on the coffee table. She was trying too hard to act nonchalant, and Dean gave her a weird look. “What?” she said innocently.  He looked at her a bit longer and then turned back to the TV. “So, what are we watching?” Thankfully, his scrutiny of her was over and he answered her.

“Game of Thrones.” He handed her a bowl of popcorn, his eyes never leaving the screen. She took the bowl from him, trying so hard to take her mind off of what happened with Cas.  He was an angel after all, and she knew he was extremely busy.  So she let herself get comfortable on the couch and watched TV with her friend.  

About an hour later, she was laughing at something Dean said as the show came to a close.  She leaned her forehead on his shoulder as her laughter continued, his laughter joining hers.  Castiel chose that moment to appear in the middle of the library.  

“Cas!” Dean said through his laughter. “Where ya been, man?”  Carrie looked up from Dean's shoulder to look at Cas.  He was looking at her with an odd expression on his face.  His eyes narrowed and his head was tilted to the side in confusion.  Carrie had always been the affectionate type. She was always touching Sam or Dean in some way.  Whether it was touching their shoulder out of comfort, or hugging them after a particularly grueling hunt, or playfully hitting Dean when he said something stupid, just now.  But it was always platonic.  The boys were like brothers to her.  There was one particular angel that she had her eyes on...and he seemed completely clueless to that as he took in the position she was in.  She was curled up on the couch, leaning into Dean.  She must have shifted unknowingly during the show.  Things had gotten intense and she liked to cuddle when she was scared.  It looked pretty cozy, but neither of them meant anything by it.  Was she crazy or did he look jealous?  

“I-uh...I had some things to attend to in heaven...” His voice was gravelly, like he was trying to hide something. Carrie had never seen him like this before.  He was most definitely flustered.  She tried to stifle a smile at his expression.  He was jealous and it was adorable.  His eyes flicked over to hers and her breath hitched.  The look on his face made her nearly bolt to the other side of the couch, away from Dean.  It was the same look he had given her in the kitchen.  A look of intent.  What kind of intent, she had no idea. But damn if she didn't want to find out...

“Cas?  Are you okay?” she asked.  He had been staring at you for a while, not saying anything.  He seemed to be deep in thought

“Yeah, man, you're freakin' me out.” Dean said next to her.  She had almost forgotten that he was there because of how intense Castiel's gaze was.  Seemingly without her brain's permission, she stood up and walked over to him, standing only a few feet away.  Even though its intense gaze was still on her, causing heat to course all through her body, she held it, staring him down.  Whether she was daring him to do something, or getting him to speak up, she had no idea.  And she would never get to find out.  In the blink of an eye, Castiel grabbed her wrist and her world was spinning.  At some point, she had shut her eyes, and when she opened them, they were in a very nice hotel room.

“What the...Cas, where are we?”

She turned around to wait for his answer, but she squeaked in surprise as she bumped straight into him,

her hands landing on his chest to steady herself.  She tilted her head up to look at him, breathing heavily at their close proximity. The look behind his eyes was hard to decipher.  It was like he was battling with himself, almost restraining.  His gaze was so intense, it was sending heat to places she didn't even know she had. Suddenly, his hand came up to her face, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.  She bit her lip, trying to stifle how completely turned on that simple gesture made her.  It seemed that was the nail in the coffin for his resolve.  His hand tangled in her hair again, and his lips were on hers before her brain could even process it. She stood there for a moment in shock.  She had thought about this moment so many times, about how his lips would feel against hers. And now, here he was, kissing her like a man starved, and she was just dangling there like an idiot.  Before she could respond to the kiss, he pulled away, misreading her shock for rejection.  She made a sound of disappointment and her body tried to follow his for a moment.  He stepped away from her almost like he had just realized what he was doing.  

“I-I'm sorry.  I shouldn't have done that.” he looked down guiltily.  He seemed frustrated with himself as he began pacing.

“Cas...I-”

He cut her off before she could finish her thought.

“Do you have any idea what you do to me, Carrie?”  She gasped at the look in his eyes.  His pupils were wide with what was unmistakably lust.  Good God, that look could have made her come right where she stood.  She wanted so badly for him to throw her against the wall and take her right there.  Cas looked down at the floor and groaned, his hands balling into fists. Oh, yeah...mind reading.

“That's right, Carrie.  I can read your thoughts.  I try not to, because I don't like to invade your privacy. But,” he started moving closer to her and she walked backwards until her back hit the wall. He pressed his body against hers, heat radiating from him.  So damn close... “You think very loud, Carrie.”

A blush crept up to her cheeks and it took everything in her not to look away from him in embarrassment.  He smirked at her red cheeks and his hand came up to caress one, his thumb lightly tracing a pattern on her face.  She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch for a moment before he began speaking again. This time something was different.  Though the heat behind his gaze was still there, it had softened slightly.  “Carrie...” God, she loved how he said her name.  “You are infuriating.”

What...

Well...that was not what she was expecting.

“Excuse me?” she asked, confusion laced heavily in her tone.  He stepped back and looked at her.  He was all flustered again and she couldn't help but find it adorable.  

“Do you know what it's like to see you with them?  To see you laugh with them and to touch them?  Carrie, you are infuriating, because everything that you do captivates me.”  She blinked, her expression blank.  He was jealous of the Winchesters? She nearly laughed out loud at that one.  But on to the second part of his statement...She captivated him.  Captivated.  That was such a strong word to use.  But the look in his eyes told her that he was positively sincere.  

“So...why exactly does that infuriate you?”  He looked at her like it should have been the most obvious thing in the world.  

“I am an angel, Carrie.  I don't have feelings like this. I've never had feelings like this and it is quite...overwhelming. Since the moment I saved you, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you.  Every time I see you, all I want to do is touch you...and...today, when I saw you with Dean, something just snapped. I don't know...”  He let out a heavy sigh and turned away from you. “This is so frustrating!”  He started pacing again, his fingers gripping his hair, making it even more disheveled than it already was.  Lord, help me.  A sudden burst of confidence made her move away from the wall and grab his hand, stopping his frantic pacing.  

“Castiel...”  His breath hitched in his throat.  She had only used his full name once before, when they first met.  He decided he really liked the sound of it.  “First of all, Dean and I are just friends.  Second of all,” Instead of using words to prove her point, she grabbed his tie and pulled him forward, pressing her lips tightly against his.  He froze only for a second before one arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer while his other hand tangled in her hair.  He moaned into her mouth, hands now roaming everywhere as he pushed her against the wall, once again.  All too soon, she pulled away for some much needed air.  She smiled at his flushed cheeks as he rested his forehead against hers.  He was breathing hard, which surprised her since angels didn't even have a need to breathe at all.  He smiled back at her and cupped her face with his hands.  She bit her lip, hoping her new found confidence hadn't left her.  This was the moment she had always dreamed of...the moment when she finally told Castiel how she felt about him.  She ran her fingers through his hair and his eyes fluttered closed as his body shivered under her touch.  She leaned in and brushed her lips against his ear as she spoke, “Castiel...I thought it was painfully obvious that I am hopelessly in love with you.”  She lifted her head to look at him as her fingers picked at his trench coat nervously.  She bit her lip again, a gesture she had quickly discovered he thoroughly enjoyed.  Then he did something she definitely was not expecting.  He laughed.  He is just full of surprises today... She was fairly certain she had never heard him laugh before.  It was truly beautiful sound.  And, yet, again, she was confused as ever.  

“That's the infuriating part...I know your feelings for me.  Like I said, Carrie, you think very loudly...” He said that last part almost as if it pained him.  

“So, what's the problem here...” she looked at his flustered expression and she wanted nothing more than to kiss it away.  He groaned again, border-lining a whine.

“Stop it...stop...thinking.”  She furrowed her brows in confusion.  Something was troubling him but she had no idea what. Clearly they both felt the same way so...what was the problem?  

“The problem...is that I am an angel.  Angels don't feel love. Angels don't feel any kind of human emotion.  Yet, since I have been in this vessel, I have felt so many different things, human things. But, in all my years of existence, I never thought that I would fall in love.  And it's frustrating because I have no idea what I am doing.  But when I see you, I feel...warm.  And I love the way you dance when you think no one is around,” they both laughed at that, going back to when he'd caught her dancing in the kitchen. “And the way you bite your lip when you're nervous,” Her body trembled as his thumb ran across her bottom lip.  She looked in his eyes and saw something she had never seen before.  They were so dark, almost hungry.  It completely took her breath away.  She tried to pull herself together, though it proved extremely difficult with Cas's other thumb unconsciously rubbing small circles on her hip.

“Cas...” She actually got a word out, despite how breathless it was.  Before she could say anything else, she heard his voice.

“I have tried, Carrie...So damn hard to fight it.”  Her breath caught in her throat.  His face was so close to hers, she could feel his breath on her face.  All she had to do was lean in just a little bit...

“But the more I see you, the more my resolve begins to break...and I pride myself on my self control, Carrie,”  She tried with all her might to suppress the moan that escaped her lips, but it was out before she could even process it.  His hand on her hip tightened and he dropped his head down.  When he lifted it back up, it looked like he could devour her whole.  “I've told myself so many times that there could possibly be consequences for our being together, that it would never work between a human and an angel.  But, you encompass my every thought.  The way you move when you fight, the way you hum softly to yourself when you're concentrating on research...Carrie, you're the most beautiful creature that I have ever seen.  Angels don't dream either, but you've managed to work your way into those too.” She smiled slightly at that.  

“You dream about me?” Her head was spinning.  She couldn't believe all the things he was telling her.  All this time...she could have had him sooner.  He chuckled softly, a look of complete lust coming over him.

“You have no idea...” He pulled her body closer, if that was even possible, and lowered his head so his lips brushed the shell of her ear. “It's sinful, really.”  This time, she moaned loud with no shame, her lip dragging through her teeth.  His eyes flicked down to the motion and he instinctively moved his mouth to hers, dragging her lip between his teeth just like she had done.  A strangled sound came from his throat as he looked at her, his pupils blown so wide, only a sliver of blue was left.  “I've wanted to do that since the first time I saw you do it.”

“God, Cas...What are you doing to me.” He smiled at her and brushed a stray piece of her blonde hair behind her ear. His eyes, though still darkened with lust, softened as he took in every feature of her face.

“I'm choosing you.  No matter how hard I fight, no matter how many times  I've tried to talk myself out of it for your safety, you somehow keep coming back to me.  In my thoughts, in my dreams, and now, here you are standing right in front of me telling me you love me.  And the more I think about the consequences, the more I realize I. Just. Don't. Care.”  To prove his point, his hand gripped her hair and he practically yanked her face up to his in a searing kiss. It was different than the others.  It was just as passionate, but it was also filled with every emotion he had been going through for the past three months.  He was showing her how he felt about her with this single kiss.  And damn if it didn't make her knees go weak.  He broke the kiss as his hands traveled behind her thighs, lifting her off the ground and wrapping her legs around his waist in one swift movement.  She gasped at the sudden movement and her hands grasped tightly at his shoulders.  He kissed her again and she let her head fall against the wall as his lips traveled to her jaw and down her neck.  When they came to the juncture of her neck and shoulder, he left an open-mouthed kiss, slightly sucking on her sensitive skin. Carrie cried out as the sudden pleasure coursing through her and her hips involuntarily bucked up against his, causing a truly sinful sound to tumble out of Castiel's mouth.  He noticed your reaction to his ministrations and repeated his action. Another moan left her lips and he smiled against her skin.  

“The sounds you make are like the sweetest music,” he mumbled as he continued kissing down her body.  He moved to her shoulder and his finger hooked underneath the thin strap of her tank top.  He slowly inched it down, his fingers brushing her skin as he went.  He kissed every inch of skin that he touched and had Carrie panting and writhing under him.  Jesus...he has barely done anything yet. Slow your roll, Carrie. She heard Cas laugh against her arm, and, suddenly, her cheeks burned red as he came back up to look at her.

“I'm sorry, Carrie.  I try not to read your thoughts because it is considered invading your privacy, but I can't seem to help it.  I can sense your longing, and you keep saying my name in your head.  It's almost like you're...praying to me.”  Despite her embarrassment, she couldn't help but smile at his adorable expression.  There they were, groping and grinding against each other like freaking preteens, and he was worried about invading her privacy.  Now, it was her turn to laugh.

“Stop apologizing and kiss me,” she said, amazed a her sudden boldness.

“Gladly.”  His lips were over hers again, his tongue sliding along her bottom lip.  She opened her mouth to let him in, both of them fighting for dominance.  He seemed reluctant to pull away as he remembered a human's annoying need to breathe.  “You know, you say my name a lot in that pretty little head of yours,”  His hands, which were holding her up underneath her thighs, moved to her ass and squeezed roughly causing her to squeak in surprise.  He just smirked at her mischievously and continued talking. “but, I highly enjoy it much more when you say it out loud.”  She smiled as she understood what he was silently asking.  She lowered her head to his ear as if she was telling him her deepest secret.

“Castiel...”  Her voice was low and husky, a sultry tone as his name left her lips.  He made a low sound of approval as her hands ran up his chest, her eyes locking with his as she pushed his trench coat and suit jacket down his shoulders simultaneously.  He lowered her to the ground and his arms left her to let them fall to the floor.  As soon as the garments were gone, she was back against the wall.

“Say it again,”  his voice was demanding, nearly an eternity of being a soldier of Heaven causing him to take control.  And damn, it was hot...She bit her lip innocently, her eyes never leaving his as his name fell from her lips again.  He cupped her face and gave her a chaste kiss before looking back up at her.  He shook his head, as if not believing that this moment was actually happening. “You have no idea how many times I have dreamed about you saying my name, moaning it as you writhe underneath me.  Begging me to touch you. The things I would do to you...you couldn't even imagine.”  She let out a puff of air as a wave of lust hit her straight in the face.  If that man did not take her right there and right now, she was going to have a damn fit.  She heard him growl and she smirked.  

“I bet I could...”  His eyes snapped up to hers and before she knew it, he had lifted her up, bridal style, and threw her onto the plush bed.  Carrie backed herself up until her head hit the pillows and Cas crawled on top of her, his eyes searing a line of electricity up her body as he took in every inch of her.  She was wearing shorts and a tank top, which left little to the imagination and his eyes raked over her body with want.

“Is that what you want, Carrie?  Do you want me to take you?” God, that low, husky voice could have been her undoing.  Her hands grasped his tie tightly as she tried to pull him closer, but he didn't budge.  She knew he was waiting for a response, almost as if he was asking for permission.

“Yes. God, yes, Castiel.  Please.”  She couldn't even feel embarrassed about how needy she sounded.  She had had enough of the teasing.  She was too riled up and she needed him.  Now.

“As you wish,” he said with a smirk.  He bent down to kiss her again, but this kiss was different.  His lips were frenzied, almost needy.  She moaned into his mouth at the realization that he needed this as much as she did.  He swiped his tongue across her bottom lip and she gladly let him in, his talented tongue exploring every inch of her mouth.  A groan of satisfaction escaped from the back of his throat as her tongue came into contact with his, tangling together, fighting for dominance.  Suddenly, things got more heated, their hands roaming all over each others' bodies.  Cas's hand found its way underneath  Carrie's tank top and cupped her breast, squeezing slightly.  Carrie's head fell back on the pillows and a truly inhuman noise escaped her lips.  Her hips involuntarily bucked into him, grazing the ever-growing bulge in his pants.  Cas moaned again, and Carrie decided it was the sexiest damn thing she had ever heard.  Her hands tugged at his shirt, her brain getting hazy and hindering her from thinking straight.  All she could think was, get these damn clothes off.  But her hands weren't following directions.  She heard Cas chuckle against her skin as his lips moved to kiss down her neck.  Suddenly, she felt the cold air against her skin and she gasped as she looked down.  Both of their clothes were gone, and Cas was still kissing her as if nothing had happened.  She pushed on his shoulders lightly to make him look at her.

“Cas, what the hell?” He just smiled that adorable smile of his and looked at her innocently.  

“You wanted clothes off, so they're off.”  All she could do was shake her head and smile back.  Her hand snaked to the back of his neck and she played with the little tufts of hair there.  Cas hummed contently as he looked at her, his incredibly blue eyes taking in every inch of her face, as if memorizing it. She bit her lip and turned her face, laughing nervously.

“What?” His hand came under her chin, forcing her to look at him.  His lips quirked into that half smile that she loved so much as he shook his head.

“You're just so beautiful.” Her breath hitched at the sincerity of his statement.  He started dragging his fingers across her bare skin sending goosebumps across her whole body.  Suddenly, she was very aware that she was naked and the urge to cover herself was very strong.  As her hands moved to cover her body, Cas's fingers wrapped around her wrist.  “Carrie, you don't ever have to hide yourself from me.”  The look in his eyes made her relax a little.  He kissed her again, slow and sweet, and her nerves evaporated with every delicious touch.  He ran his hands along her rib cage, along her hip, and back up again.  He was slowly driving her crazy, her body writhing beneath him. Embarrassment be damned, all she could think about now were the amazing things that Cas was doing to her body.  He had barely touched her yet and she was positively singing.  Her breathing became ragged as she dragged her nails along his back, pulling his body as close to hers as she possibly could.

“Cas...please.” Her voice was so breathless she even surprised herself. His lips traveled from her neck, down to the middle of her chest.  He left soft, open-mouthed kisses there, making Carrie moan in frustration. He smiled against her skin and continued on his path, finally, taking a nipple into his mouth.  Her hands snapped up to his head, her fingers tangling into his hair and tugging lightly.  The sound that she elicited from him made her hum in approval.  She whimpered as he continued his ministrations on her other breast, his teeth slightly grazing her nipple.  His gaze flicked up to her face, watching her every move.  And damn if that look didn't completely wreck her...Her mouth fell open slightly as she watched him in fascination.  He was worshiping every inch of her body at an agonizingly slow pace, as if he wanted to memorize everything about her.  He continued down her body, licking and nipping at her soft skin until she was mewling and squirming underneath him.  Finally, finally, he settled between her legs.  He smiled mischievously at her before he kissed the inside of her left ankle.  He left no patch of skin untouched as he continued his sweet torture.  Carrie bit her lip so hard, she thought she tasted blood.  Her body was trembling underneath his lips.  She yelped in surprise as he bit the inside of her thigh, a little purple bruise starting to form. She propped herself up to look at him.  He slowly ran his tongue over the bite, a satisfied look on his face at the mark he left there.  When he looked up at her, he groaned at the sight before him.  Her hair was wild from his fingers running through it.  Her eyes were blown wide with lust, her lips swollen from his kisses. Her chest was heaving and there were little pink marks all over her bare front from where his mouth had explored.

“Carrie...” His voice was an octave lower than usual, and his head dropped down to the leg he was holding.  He was completely wrecked and it was all because of her.  And it was the sexiest thing she had ever seen.  “You're driving me crazy.” he mumbled against her skin.  She smirked at him, a sudden boost of confidence coming over her.

“What are you gonna do about it?” she quirked an eyebrow at him, the anticipation of his reaction making her shiver.  It was exactly what she wanted.  He growled and his hands gripped her hips, practically yanking her down the bed, her legs hanging off.  He knelt down on the floor, his eyes never leaving hers, as he slowly, finally, dragged his tongue over her slit. Her arms gave out and she fell back onto the bed.  His name fell from her lips over and over as his talented mouth worked her body in all the right places.  He swung her leg over his shoulder and the new angle allowed him to shove his tongue inside her, his thumb coming up to rub achingly slow circles over her clit.  Carrie's fingers tugged at his hair so hard, she was afraid she was hurting him.  But his groan of pleasure told her otherwise.  He pulled away, and she made a sound of disappointment at the loss.  She propped herself up on her elbows, wondering why the hell he would stop.  She moaned out loud at the look on his face.  He looked completely debauched, a look that should not be sexy on an angel but, God, she could have her way with him right there.  

“You taste so damn good, you know that?” Another moan escaped her lips as she pulled him back onto the bed by his hair.  She pulled him down for a kiss and he grunted in surprise.  She could taste herself on his tongue and it was the most erotic thing she had ever experienced.  He dragged her bottom lip between his teeth as he pulled away.  

“Castiel...enough teasing, please.” Apparently, he agreed.  Without warning, he slammed into her making both of them moan in pleasure.  “Cas...fuck...” Those were the only words she was able to form as he started to move slowly, letting her adjust to him.  Her hands gripped his shoulders tight as his thrusts became faster and faster until the headboard was slamming against the wall.  He bent down and sucked a nipple into his mouth and Carrie arched her back into him, her fingers moving to tug on his hair.  “Oh, God. Ca-Cas, yes. That feels so-” The sensation was all too much.  He had actually rendered her speechless.  Cas grabbed her leg and placed her ankle on his shoulder, moving at a whole new angle.  She screamed his name as he hit her sweet spot and he looked down at her curiously.  He tried again, getting the same reaction and he smirked down at her.  She bit her lip and held his gaze, despite how hard it was as he hit that spot within her again and again.  He growled as he watched her eyes roll into the back of her head, breathless pants all she could manage as she felt the heat coil in her belly.  Her legs began to tremble as Cas's thrusts became more erratic.  He leaned down to kiss her as his thumb found her sensitive bud, rubbing rough circles. “Cas, I'm gonna...” she trailed off, her nails sinking into his shoulders.

“Come on, Carrie.  Come for me...” That was all it took.  The spring inside her snapped as her orgasm washed over her.  She moaned his name over and over again, her whole body shaking.  Cas had stopped for the moment, watching every move she made in awe.  

“So beautiful.”  She grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him down for a kiss as his thrusts sped up again. It didn't take long before he was crying her name out in ecstasy.  He held himself up on his forearms so he didn't crush her as they tried to catch their breath.  After a while, he rolled over to lay beside her, pulling her to lay with him.  She draped her arm across his chest and rested her head in the crook of his arm.  

“Wow...” Carrie sat up to look at him and laughed at the total blissed out look on his face.  He hummed in agreement and returned her gaze.  Her fingers traced random patterns across his chest as she looked around the room, her head becoming clearer after everything that had just happened.  “So, you never told me where we were,” she said, a curious look on her face.  She hasn't noticed before, but the hotel room he had zapped them to was extremely nice.  He laughed at her as he mindlessly played with her hair.

“Paris,” he said, as if it was the most nonchalant thing to ever happen.  She looked at him with wide eyes and her jaw dropped.  

“Paris?” He chuckled at her child-like excitement as she practically jumped out of bed, temporarily forgetting that she was naked, to look out the window.  Sure enough, the Eiffel Tower was sparkling beautifully on the night horizon.  She laughed in amazement, and then she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist.  She turned around and was greeted with a kiss.  When they pulled away, the look on his face nearly took her breath away.  There was so much adoration there, and she couldn't believe it was real.  He cupped her cheek with his hand and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.  

“I know it was kind of rash.  But all I knew was that I wanted you far away from the Winchesters.   I'm sorry my jealousy clouded my judgment.”  She laughed and shook her head.  

“Cas, if this happens every time you get jealous, then you can get jealous any time you want.”  He smiled at her and leaned in for another kiss.  She could never get tired of kissing Cas.  It felt like home.  They pulled away for much needed air and he rested his forehead against hers.  

“Carrie...I hope you know how much I love you.”  She couldn't help the smile that threatened to split her face in half.  Her fingers played with the hair at the back of his neck as she kissed his lips for the hundredth time.

***

“Listen, with this war going on, that girl is probably the best thing that could’ve ever happened to us!”

“Yes, but without her grace she’s as useful as a weed in a sidewalk crack!”

“Didn’t you hear her? She’s tuning into angel radio. She can still hear them!”

Jane woke to the hushed whispers right outside the door to her room and her eyes fluttered open as she groaned, pushing herself up to lean on her elbow and rub her eyes. She listened to the conversation that seemed as if she wasn’t meant to hear it but her curiosity got the better of her and she sat up, pulling the wire out once again and walked over to the door to have a better listen. They weren’t making a lot of sense and it got her mind reeling with questions: Were they talking about her? What were they talking about “her grace”? And what was angel radio? She held her ear to the door and took very shallow breaths, careful not to make any noise and attract attention to herself. She wanted to hear what they had to say in the hope that maybe they would tell her exactly what was going on.

“Tori, angel radio is useless at this point. It’s utter chaos up there. It’s probably a jumbled mess and probably the reason our graceless angel had her little episode.” A man said.

“Did you hear her mumble in her sleep? That rambling has to mean something!” the girl, Tori, urged. Whatever it was, she was adamant about it, even if it didn’t make any sense.

“It’s not worth it, Tori! Every demon, angel, and hunter are gonna be looking for her and right now, we can’t take that chance that they will find her. We have to kill her. Now.”

Jane squeaked and sucked in a breath, immediately covering her mouth. The hall grew quiet and she shut her eyes tight, knowing her very small mistake might very well have been her last. After a moment she took a deep breath and peeked out the small window of her door. At first she didn’t see anyone and she thought that maybe she’d actually scared them off instead, but just as she began to relax and step away from the door, she bumped into something, or someone, sturdy and she froze, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before turning around to face her the stranger in her room. When she finally did she covered her mouth to stifle a scream, eyes wide in fear and panic as she backed straight into the small side table near her bed. This man’s face, black as night and scorched beyond belief with cracks in the skin allowing blood to seep through, was absolutely terrifying. His eyes were a deep black that were watching every move she made as she backed away from him in horror. How could she not have seen his face before? Not noticed how deformed and disturbing his features were? This man was not human, and some part of her knew it though she couldn’t pinpoint how or why she knew it. A few more steps back and she stepped on the toes of another, turning quick to face the woman the man had been arguing with, her face just as terrifying as his; deformed, with her skin blackened and suctioned to her facial bones. Her nose was missing, leaving only a dark, gaping hole where it should’ve been, but her eyes were just as black as his, watching her just the same. She was trapped with no way out, her fear rising in her throat but she was unable to scream. Something told her that the people that would come to her rescue if she did call out for help wouldn’t see what she was seeing, and they definitely wouldn’t believe her. She searched frantically for something to defend herself with, spotting a syringe sitting on the table next to her bed that she all but leapt for and turned it towards her attackers with shaky hands. Her face portrayed a sense of bravery and determination but she knew they could see right through it. The two of them laughed at her measly little weapon but she stood strong, fighting the tears that threatened to escape.

“You really think that will work on us?” the woman said. Jane moved her weapon between the two of them, unsure which of them would strike first but ready for either scenario.

“You should know better than that. Or did your fall really knock all your smarts out of your head?” the man smiled, showing perfectly white teeth, a sickening sight paired with his burnt skin and black eyes. Jane swallowed, hoping her voice wouldn’t crack when she tried to speak.

“Wh-what’re you talking about? What fall?”

“So she doesn’t remember!”

“Remember what? What are you talking about?” She was starting to panic, but she needed answers, and she wouldn’t get them by running away.

“She probably doesn’t even know what she is.” The man took a step towards her and she took one back, ramming her hip into one of the machines behind her; her breathing picked up as they closed in on her, continuing their banter of playing on her memory loss that only confused her more. They spoke of broken wings and lost grace and Jane was wracking her brain to try and piece together this impossible puzzle, and in doing so she subconsciously lowered her weapon, giving the two of them the chance to attack. Jane screamed, raising her arms to shield her face, but nothing happened. She was still, thinking maybe they’d gotten her, that they’d killed her and she was in Heaven, but she lowered her arms when her ears started ringing and she found the hospital bed leaning up against the far side of the room, cracks in the wall all around it where it had hit with so much force, and two pairs of legs dressed in doctors’ scrubs sticking out from under it. She sucked in a breath, looking around for the person who’d saved her life but there was no one there. Her breathing was heavy and she felt weak, but she knew she had to get out of there, and fast, before the two of them came to or someone else came in and starting asking questions she couldn’t answer. She made quickly for the exit, slipping out into the hall, not even bothering to close the door back behind her. To her left was the front desk where several doctors and nurses were standing around, glancing over files, answering the never ending ring of the office phone, and discussing patients over coffee – she immediately decided on the other direction. After her encounter with the other two “doctors” there was no telling how many of those things were wandering around this place. She kept her head down and started for her right, down a long hallway until she could find a way out, and much to her luck, she didn’t have to go very far, finding a stairway at the end of the hall. She ducked into the stairwell and all but ran down the stairs until she came to the very bottom and peeked out the door where it led to a small lobby, a huge open space with several different kinds of plants and a huge window that made up the front wall. There were only a few people wandering about so she carefully slipped out the door and into the streets without being noticed, but when she did get outside and took in her surroundings she was only sure of two things: she had no idea where she was, and she knew she was a long way from home.

***

ONE MONTH LATER

“Glad we hashed that out. Call me when you roll into town.”

Dean made a face when his brother hung up on him, pulling his phone away from his ear and glancing down at it, “Who died and made you boss?” he muttered, grabbing his bag of fast food and opening the door to the Impala. He was on his way to the bunker where Sam had been holding up for the past year when he’d called him and received different instructions to meet him in Easter, Pennsylvania. He threw his food into the passenger seat and was about to step into the car but when he reached into his pocket to pull out his keys, he sighed in frustration, realizing he’d accidently left them in the restaurant. He closed the door to the car and headed back inside to retrieve his keys, finding them next to the soda machines, right where he’d left them. He snatched them up and turned to leave, once again, but something on the television caught his eye and he stopped; there was a photo of a young woman, long, brown hair and bright blue eyes, dressed in a hospital gown plastered on the screen. Dean furrowed his eyebrows and took a few steps forward to have a closer look. It seemed that the woman had escaped a hospital in a nearby town a few weeks before with two doctors found dead in her room, and she was still missing. But the girl, she looked so familiar to him, but he just couldn’t place it. He stood staring at the photo even after they’d moved on to another story, wracking his brain for any reason to having known this girl. The news had said she was a Jane Doe and they knew no other information on her so he had close to nothing to go on, but he knew her from somewhere. He shook his head, shaking the eerie feeling of something big approaching and ran back out to his car, wanting to cover some distance before nightfall. But somehow he knew that girl would show up in his life again, even if he couldn’t remember why he felt she’d already been in it once before.

***

                “This just screams Egyptian plague.” Sam bounded down the stairs from the police officer’s home with the jar of locusts in hand, his face contorting in slight disgust at the rather large insects that had crawled out of the head of the police officer they’d been questioning. Dean jogged beside him, his car keys jingling in between his fingers and his brain running rampant. Sam was right, the only thing that made any solid sense was some sort of plague; and if he was honest, if anyone had even suggested something like that to him a few years ago he would have written them off as a nut-job but now it just seemed to be another possible case that needed to be solved. For now, they had both decided to head back to their hotel to discuss what facts they’d found and figure out their next move.

They reached their separate vehicles and Sam climbed into his car without a second thought, but as Dean sat behind the wheel of the Impala his mind wandered back to the girl from the news. Sam took off in front of him and he was quick to catch up, chewing on his thumbnail and mindlessly following after his brother once they were on the road. He was usually good at names and faces but something was different about this one; something about this one seemed important, like she should have made some sort of impact on him in some way, but he just couldn’t remember how or why and it was driving him crazy. He was about to push it to the back of his mind for a later time when something on the side of the road caught his attention. If he didn’t know any better, he could’ve sworn he saw a woman stumbling along the shoulder, and when he reached over to adjust the side mirror and peered into its reflection he saw the girl hit the pavement and he hit the brakes. He clambered out of the car just as Sam’s reverse lights came on and the car started backwards towards him. Dean took off running the few yards back to the girl and kneeled down next to her, scanning her hospital gown clad body with frantic eyes. He checked her pulse just as Sam joined him and was relieved to actually find one, however it was faint and irregular; she was still alive, just unconscious. They checked her for injuries and found only minor scrapes and bruises that most likely came from her time in the woods; she was probably passed out from exhaustion and dehydration. Sam stood tall, looking at their surroundings, searching for the girl’s car or for any sign that someone was with her, but found none. They were in the middle of nowhere, with no buildings or any sign of civilization save for the small two lane they’d found her on. He glanced down at his brother as he carefully rolled the girl over so that she was lying on her back. Dean furrowed his eyebrows when he realized it was the girl from the news, the girl he couldn’t place her familiarity, and somehow he wasn’t all that shocked.

“We need to get her to a hospital.” Sam said. Dean was about to agree but the image of the girl’s photo on the television screen flashed in his mind and he shook his head. He disagreed with his brother and got to his feet, staring down at the brunette lying on the ground with Sam watching and waiting for some sort of explanation as to why they shouldn’t take the mysteriously banged up, unconscious female to a hospital.

“No, we can’t take her there.” Dean said again. Sam stared at him suspiciously and Dean rolled his eyes, turning to face his brother dramatically, “I saw this girl on the news when I called to tell you where I was. She escaped from hospital a few towns over.”

Sam looked at him with furrowed eyebrows and a confused smirk, shifting his weight as he spoke, “Then shouldn’t we take her back?”

“No, I mean I think she escaped for a reason. Like, our kind of reason. Her bed was up against the wall with two doctors under it and the wall was cracked around it because it was thrown so hard.” He looked down at her and shook his head, “Something just doesn’t seem right.”

Sam leaned down to look at Dean’s features, “Dude, you okay?”

Dean looked up at him, clearing his throat and trying to brush it off, “Me? Yeah, why?”

“I dunno, something’s just off about you, ever since we started this case. And now we’re not gonna take this girl that we just found unconscious on the side of the road to the hospital?”

“I’m fine. And if I remember correctly, she was fully conscious when we passed her. Let’s just get the girl and get out of here.” He squatted down and slid his arms under the girl’s back and knees, lifting her with ease and starting back for the Impala. Sam watched him for a second with the strange feeling that Dean was keeping something from him. He was tempted to go and beat it out of him but he refrained, ready to get back to the motel and crack down on the case at hand, and once Dean had the girl secured in the front seat and was walking around to take his position behind the wheel, Sam jogged back to his own car and they were back on the road again in no time.

***

“Sweet. Blood, boils, locusts.” Dean shuffled through a pile of the large paper photos they’d gathered on their case, depicting ancient stories of the wonders that plagued Egypt. They’d managed to get the girl past the small amount of people in the lobby of the motel and into their room without anyone noticing and Dean laid her on his bed once they made it inside. Not once had she moved since they’d found her, but there wasn’t much else they could do for her at this point except wait for her to wake up. Sam took a deep breath, scratching the back of his head and skimming over something on his laptop.

“Three of your more popular Egyptian plagues.” He said.

“Yeah, but these guys ate their way out of a cop’s melon.” Dean picked up the jar of locusts from the cop’s house and turned it over in his hands, “I don’t quite remember that in the King James.”

“Meanwhile, a kid named Christopher Birch was shot in the head last month after a vehicle pursuit. Hatch, Gray, and Colfax were the three officers involved, and they all filed the exact same police report.”

“‘Suspect exited vehicle brandishing a firearm. We were forced to fire.’” Dean read aloud from the police report in his hands before setting the paper down with a heavy sigh, “’Just a kid with no face and a planted gun.’ Bunch of dicks. So they pop the kid, plant the piece.”

“Maybe Colfax is right.” Sam sighed, “You know, maybe Heaven has a hate-on for bad cops.”

“So we’re listening to the guy with the bug in his custard? That’s the theory you wanna go with?” Dean stood and grabbed a beer from the fridge behind him, popping the top and taking a long swig. He strode over to where the girl lie unconscious on his motel bed, breathing even, almost like a peaceful sleep, but Dean just couldn’t shake that he knew her from somewhere and it was driving him crazy. He took another swig of his drink as his brother spoke, but he didn’t look at him.

“Dean, angels got to have something to do, right? Now that we’re post-apocalypse?”

“Yeah, maybe.” He paused, watching the girl sleep for a few more seconds and contemplating his words before sucking in a breath and turning to Sam, “We should call Cas.”

Same scoffed, “You’re kidding, right? Dean, I tried. It was the first and second and third thing I did, soon as I got topside. Son of a bitch won’t answer the phone.”

“Well, let’s give it a shot.” Dean gave his winning smile and took a seat at the end of his bed, head bowed and eyes closed. Sam rolled his eyes as his brother began one of his more smart-ass-type prayers, “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray to Castiel to get his feathery ass down here.”

“You’re an idiot.” Sam said.

“Stay positive.”

“Oh, I am positive.”

Dean closed his eyes again, ignoring his brother’s griping, “Come on, Cas! Don’t be a dick. We got ourselves a…plague-like situation down here. Do you...copy?”

The room was quiet and he peeked one eye open, hoping with all his might that Cas would be standing there next to him with the answers they needed, but when he opened his eyes the only ones there with him were Sam and the girl. He shook his head in defeat and Sam took in a deep, victorious breath and cleared his throat, leaning forward in his chair, “Like I said, the son of a bitch doesn’t answer–“

He stopped when he saw Dean’s eyes go wide, staring right past him in a slight state of shock. Sam’s face fell into a disbelieving expression and his lips thinned, speaking through gritted teeth, “He’s right behind me, isn’t he?”

Dean said nothing, simply staring at whatever was behind him and Sam whipped around in his chair, greeted by none other than Castiel, dressed in his usual suit and trench coat, with his blue tie backwards and black hair messy. The angel greeted him with a simple ‘hello’ and Sam just about came undone, shooting a deathly glare at Dean, who simply shrugged his shoulders innocently, and Sam turned back to Cas, “’Hello’?”

The angel hesitated, “Yes.”

Sam glanced back at Dean and scoffed, imitating Cas’ deep, grungy voice, “’Hello.’”

“Uh, that is still the term?” He glanced out of the corner of his eyes with furrowed eyebrows, double-checking what he’d learned about human customs in his time on Earth.

“I spent all that time trying to get through to you. Dean calls once, and now it’s ‘hello’?!”

“Yes.” Cas sounded exasperated and Sam threw his hands in the air in defeat, bringing them back down to rub his face in frustration.

“So, what, you like him better or something?”

Cas looked up as if he was asking himself why he even showed up before he turned back to Sam, “Dean and I do share a more profound bond.” He looked back at Dean’s unsure expression and he held his arms out with a shrug, I wasn’t gonna mention it.”

“Cas, I think what he’s trying to say is that, he went to Hell for us. I mean, he really took one for the team. You remember that? And then he comes back without a clue, and you can’t take five friggin’ minutes to give him some answers?”

“If I had any answers, I might have responded. But I don’t know, Sam. We have no idea who brought you back from the cage…or why.”

“So, it wasn’t God?” Sam stood from his chair to look Castiel in the eyes.

“No one’s even seen God. The whole thing remains mysterious.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“What part of ‘I don’t know’ escapes your understanding?”

“Cas, look,” Dean spoke, getting to his feet in order to try and break up what could’ve been a stressful argument between the two, “If Sam calls, you answer. Okay? You wing your ass down here, and you tell him, ‘I don’t know.’ Just because we have some sort of a…bond, or whatever.”

Cas took a calming breath and glanced back at Dean, prepared to put him in his place and he immediately took a double take when something else caught his attention just behind the hunter, something that should have caught his attention a long time ago. Dean followed his gaze back to the girl and glanced back at Cas, gesturing towards the unconscious brunette.

“Do you know her?” he asked. Cas glanced at him and returned his attention to the girl, stepping around Dean to stand by the bed next to her.

“No,” he finally said, wary of something near his feet he was trying his best to not step on, something neither of the brothers could see but they wrote it off, listening to him speak words that they never expected to hear, “I do not know who she is, but I do know that she is an angel.”

Dean and Sam exchanged looks and Sam shook his head, “Are you serious?”

Cas examined the girl with his head cocked to the side in his usual fashion. He knew it was an angel’s vessel from the wings that only he could see, lifeless and sprawled out awkwardly to one side, hanging over the bed to drag on the floor; probably from the way Dean had carried her in and laid her down. Their ruffled feathers gave off a dull-gray hue that told Castiel that whoever this was that lie before him had fallen from Heaven, making him all the more curious to her identity.

“She’s a fallen angel,” he explained, moving closer to the girl, careful of her wings and trying not to step on them, even if she was numb to them, “With so much chaos up there I’m not surprised. There’s no way to keep up with everyone. Not anymore.”

He reached out and placed two fingers on the girl’s forehead, forcing her out of her comatose state. Just as their skin met her eyes flew open and the minor injuries that covered her body were healed in seconds. She saw Cas and immediately sat up, backing away from him and the brothers, almost falling off the bed in the process. Her wings were drug next to her, seeing as she had no idea that they were even there and Cas furrowed his eyebrows while Dean tried to calm her down, holding his hands up and speaking in a soft tone, but she ignored him.

“Who are you?” she pleaded. She looked scared and confused and Dean took a few steps closer to her. Something about her eyes was starting to clear up the fog in his memory and he wanted to get a closer look, but she simply leaned back away from him.

“We’re not going to hurt you.” He reassured. He was trying to be patient and gentle, even when every ounce of patience he had had been dropped on the side of the road where they found her. There was no telling what the girl, this fallen angel had been through, but Cas had other plans.

“Who are you?” he took a step toward her and Dean put a hand on his chest to force him back. He merely glanced at Dean, barely taking his eyes off of the girl, just as impatient for answers as he was though clearly not hiding it nearly as well.

“Who are you?” she replied, “And where am I?”

“We asked you first.” Sam said. Dean gave him a look but he ignored him, “What’s your name?”

“I don’t know my name.” she said, “I woke up in a hospital about a month ago with no idea who I was or how I got there.”

Dean narrowed his eyes in the way he usually did when he was testing the waters, “So you have no idea who, or what, you are?”

“Um, no. The paper on my bed said “Doe, Jane”. Everything else was listed as unknown.”

Dean rubbed his face with his hands and turned to Castiel, “She has no idea.”

“No idea about what?”

They were suddenly quiet, staring at the girl as she moved her eyes between the three of them. When none of them answered, she eyed them suspiciously, “Do you guys know something I don’t? About me? Do you know who I am and where I came from?”

The questions began to fall off of her tongue like water out of a broken levy and Dean took a cautious step towards her, on the verge of doing his best to comfort her, but Cas clearly didn’t have a filter for his mouth and Dean had the urge to slap him when he spoke.

“You’re an angel of the Lord.”

The room was silent once again and the girl stared unblinking at him. For a moment, none of them were really sure what she was going to say and Dean looked around, shifting his weight rather awkwardly with raised eyebrows while Sam and Cas seemed to simply be watching her. Dean looked at them with a creased brow before turning back to the girl just as she shook her head and crawled out of the bed, her angel wings hitting the ground with a soft thumb behind her, dragging in a limp heap behind her as she walked away from the three boys, but she didn’t walk out the door like Dean expected her to. In fact she stopped, just short of the door, facing away from them. They waited for her response and after a beat she turned around slowly, the boys were keeping a close eye on her, all of them holding very serious looks and she eyed each one of them separately, ending with Castiel. They locked eyes, his so blank, ready to get back to the point of his visit, and hers so confused and scared and vulnerable, but so curious and so wanting to believe these strangers. She blinked and looked away.

“You’re serious, aren’t you?” she finally said.

“Yes.” Cas replied. He wasn’t cold, but very straight forward. She looked as if she was waiting for him to explain further and when he didn’t she turned to Dean, hoping for more answers.

“Do you know who I am? My name isn’t Doe, Jane is it?”

“No, just,” he sighed and she waited, eyes blinking and waiting patiently for him to continue. He could see the innocence pouring out of her eyes and he had to take a double take. A picture flashed in his mind, of a time so different from this one. One that was dark and without hope and he looked back at Cas, who was rummaging through his bag as if it belonged to him. Dean glanced back at his brother, who simply shrugged and Dean approached the angel, “Cas, what’re you doing? Aren’t you going to help her? Look at her, confused and just wants to know who she is.”

Cas stood up straight and looked at Dean with piercing eyes, “As I told you before, if I had any answers I would give them, but I don’t. All I know is that she’s missing her grace, and until it is found there is nothing I or anyone else can do for her.”

He returned to Dean’s bag and Dean scoffed, unbelieving of what he was hearing, “So you’re just gonna let her sit here like this? Lost and fallen?”

“My grace is missing?” Jane spoke up. She was growing more and more confused and curious by the second and Cas sighed again, turning back to Dean once more and this time, his features seemed to soften, just slightly, as he turned to address the girl, “Look, I want to help you, I do, but without your grace, I have no idea who you are. It could’ve landed anywhere. Besides, I came here on an extremely important matter that needs my immediate attention.”

“I know, took you long enough.” Dean bantered and Cas peered at him with raised eyebrows.

“You think I came because you called?”

Dean’s expression told him that that’s exactly what he thought and Cas rolled his eyes, “I came because of this.”

He gestured towards the stack of files that Dean and Sam had gathered on their case and strode over to join Sam next to the table. Dean made a face as he spoke, “Oh, well, it’s nice to know what matters.”

“It does help one to focus.”

 Dean creased his forehead but Cas was completely ignoring him. He was about to join the group at the table, but the girl’s movements drew his attention. He looked back at her as she took a seat on the edge of Sam’s bed, holding her stomach and staring at the carpet in front of her. She looked so overwhelmed and he watched her a moment, debating in his mind before taking the last swig of his beer and taking the few steps across the room to join her. She didn’t acknowledge when the bed dipped beside her, signaling that he’d sat next to her and he bit his lip before speaking, “I know…I know this is a lot to take in,”

“No, no, that’s the problem.” She interrupted him, “It’s not. It feels…right. I don’t know. It’s like I can remember these bits and pieces of things, but I can’t make them out. But what you, and what Cas have said, it just feels…right.” She looked up to meet his eyes, “Am I crazy?”

He chuckled, “No, trust me on this one, you are probably the sanest one here.”

For the first time since they’d met, she gave him a small smile. He returned the favor and stood to grab a pair of sweats and a tee-shirt from his bag to give to her. She thanked him and stepped into the bathroom to change and he joined Sam and Cas at the table with the case files.

“So, you and the Halo Patrol, you guys aren’t the cause of these killings?” Sam was saying.

“No.” Cas replied, “But they were committed with one of our weapons. There’s only one thing that could have brought this into existence. You call it the Staff of Moses.”

The boys were quiet a second, looking at each other to make sure they both heard right before Sam spoke, “The staff?”

“It was used in a dominance display against the Egyptians, as I recall.”

“Yeah. That one made the papers.” Dean scoffed.

“Does that mean you or I were there for that?”

All three boys looked up at Jane’s voice when she came out of the bathroom, dressed in Dean’s clothes and the raggedy hospital gown in hand, unsure what to do with it. The clothes were a few sized too big for her but they were better than that gown for sure. They looked at her a little confused and she shrugged, “Well, I figured if you knew that I’m an angel, then that means you are, too.”

Cas thinned his lips and looked down at the papers in front of him, “No. I was stationed elsewhere at the time. And, uh,”

“And we have no idea who I am. Right.” She made the same face with an understanding nod, wringing the gown in her hands. Dean felt sorry for her, but it was interesting to see an angel show this much emotion, even if they’d never seen her at her full potential and he was reminded of Anna when they first found her: deemed mentally insane and forced into a psychiatric hospital. He hoped they could help Jane before something like that happened to her.

“But I thought the staff turned, like, a river into blood not one dude.” Sam said, pulling Dean from his thoughts.

“The weapon isn’t being used at full capacity.” Cas explained, “I think we can rule Moses out as a suspect.”

The boys gave him a look and Dean shook his head, ignoring Cas’ comment, “Okay, but, what is Chuck Hesston’s disco stick doing down here, anyway? I mean, don’t you guys put away your toys?”

“Before the apocalypse, Heaven may have been corrupt, but it was stable. The Staff was safely contained.” Cas turned the jar of locusts in his hands, “It’s been chaos up there since the war ended. In that confusion, a number of powerful weapons were stolen.”

Jane was hanging on to every word that Cas was saying. She took a seat, listening to his voice and absorbing everything he said, wishing she could remember these things, even as horrible as they sounded. She could remember bits and pieces, but it was mostly just porcelain white rooms and a man with more than one face, then immense heat and loud wailing noises. She vaguely wondered if the heat had anything to do with her so-called “fall” that Castiel kept describing, but she shook the thoughts from her head at Dean’s voice.

“Wait, you’re saying that your nukes are loose?” he said.

“Yeah, I’m afraid so. But you’ve stumbled onto one of them. We must find the weapon that did this.” He paused, and he seemed to be searching for the right words before just putting it plainly, “I need your help.”

Jane felt the thrill in the pit of her stomach, the thrill of finding new knowledge, to find out more about who and what she was, however one look at the brothers and she knew that they weren’t nearly as excited as she was to help this angel and she furrowed her eyebrows. Why on earth weren’t they willing to help him?

“That’s rich. Really.” Sam said, sarcasm rolling off his tongue. Jane looked between the two of then back to Castiel. He, for one, did not seem to appreciate the dirty looks he was receiving from the brothers, and he chucked the jar of locusts at Sam, who caught them with a rough grunt as Castiel spoke.

“Sam, Dean, my ‘people skills’ are ‘rusty.’” He said, using his fingers as air quotes in places that just didn’t seem right to Jane, but she remained silent, letting him continue his spill, “Pardon me, but I have spent the last ‘year’ as a multidimensional wavelength of celestial intent. But believe me, you do not want that weapon down here. Help me find it. Or more people will die.”

Jane turned her attention to the boys, obviously taking only a moment or two to think it over, Dean being quick to speak for all of them, “Alright, okay, well, if the angels didn’t pull the trigger, then that brings us back to motive.”

Castiel nodded his understanding and just as soon as he agreed his eyebrows furrowed and he looked confused, “What?”

“Back to the case.” Sam said, “Right now, we got three dead cops. Only thing linking them is this.” He took the reports from Dean and read aloud from them, “’Father of slain suspect calls for investigation.’”

He held up the newspaper clipping to show Cas and he nodded his head. They began to postulate theories but no sooner did Dean start to speak did all of them suddenly find themselves in what appeared to be someone else’s home. Jane jumped, startled at the sudden change of scenery and she looked around frantically. Sam was by her and he placed a steady hand on her shoulder as she looked around. It was dark, musty, with the only source of light being what little sunshine came through the windows and most of it was blocked by the trees surrounding the house. An older black man was sat on the couch in front of them, reading over a stack of newspapers with a pair of scissors in his hand. He looked exhausted, as if he hadn’t slept in weeks, and there was a very angry look in his eyes. He jumped out of his seat when the four of them appeared, scissors at the ready, prepared to defend himself and his home.

“Cas, a little warning next time.” Dean complained.

“How’d you get in here?!” the homeowner looked between the group, his voice urgent.

“Mr. Birch, settle down.” Sam pulled something out of his coat pocket, a flipbook and ID, and held it up for the man to see, looking and sounding very serious, “Federal agents.”

“But you can’t just walk in here!”

“Quite a collection you’ve got there, huh?” he ignored him, putting his badge away. Mr. Birch glanced down at the papers on his coffee table, eyeing his new visitors with cautious eyes. Sam sighed, “Look, we know the truth, all right? Chris didn’t have a gun on him when those cops shot him. They set him up.”

“Yeah.” Mr. Birch was quick to agree, “They’re all getting theirs.”

“And who’s giving it to them, Darryl?”

When Mr. Birch looked away, almost shamefully, Jane furrowed her eyebrows, looking up to Sam who was watching the man like a hawk. She peered down the line and Dean glanced at her for a quick second, fidgeting on his feet, “Darryl? Did you kill Toby Gray and the others?”

“Me? I didn’t kill anyone! Look at how they died!”

“You smote them with the staff of Moses.” Cas interrupted him and Mr. Birch gave him the strangest of looks.

“The hell kind of fed are you?”

Cas glanced at his companions on either side of him, expecting some sort of backup but when neither responded he rolled his eyes and approached Mr. Birch, “We don’t have time for this. Where is it?”

“Leave my dad alone!”

A new voice behind them attracted their attention and they were met with a young boy holding a foot long stick, oddly shaped like a pistol, right at them. They stood there a little shocked and Jane was unsure what to do. She stood completely still and as close to Sam as possible, ready to run if the situation called for it, and she suddenly wondered if her old self, her angel self knew how to fight.

“Is that…?” Dean said.

“Yes.” Was Castiel’s reply. Jane looked back at him and he was staring at the boy in wonder, and a little bit of confusion. He seemed just as shocked as the rest of them and Jane was a little surprised, she’d only known him a few hours but she was sure he didn’t have any emotions at all.

“Shouldn’t it be bigger?” Sam questioned.

“Yes, it’s been sawed off.”

“Leave him alone! It wasn’t him!” the boy pleaded again.

“Aaron, get out of here!” Mr. Birch ordered, but with one touch of Castiel’s fingers to his forehead and he was passed out on the couch behind him. Jane’s gave a small gasp and the boy lowered his weapon, but only slightly.

“What did you do to him?” he said.

“It’s all right. He’s just sleeping.” Dean assured and just before Jane’s eyes Castiel appeared next to the boy and took the stick right out of his hands. Dean scolded him, telling him to knock it down a notch and Aaron looked up at the angel; Jane could see how intimidated he was but he was without fear, an emotion she was familiar with and one that she was sure the boy would have but he did not. She cocked her head to the side as Dean approached the boy with very little caution. It was like he was scolding his own son and Jane got the feeling that there were several sides of Dean that she was only just beginning to learn about.

“Listen, we’re not here to hurt you, okay? But we need to know, where did you get this thing?”

“Please don’t kill my dad.” The boy replied, backing away when all three men began closing in on him, “It was me. I did it.”

“Okay, nobody’s killing anybody.” Dean said, “What’s your name?”

“Aaron. Aaron Birch.”

“Okay, Aaron Birch, where did you get this?”

“You won’t believe me.”

“Try me.” Dean gave him a crooked smile and Aaron eyed Castiel next to him, leaning away from him as if he was standing a little too close for comfort. Jane approached the situation tentatively but none of them gave her really any notice, too wrapped up in the moment, but she stayed close by but out of the way.

“It was an angel.” Aaron said. They all seemed to stand up straighter, including Cas as all eyes seemed to fall on him.

“An angel?” Dean questioned.

“Those liars, they killed my brother, and nothing bad even happened to them. It’s not fair. So I prayed to God every night he would punish them. God didn’t answer. But he did.”

“His name – did he give you a name?” Cas said.

Aaron shook his head, “No. He just said I could have justice, but I was gonna have to take it myself. He…he gave me the stick.”

It was like alert sirens were wailing in all their heads as soon as those words left the kid’s mouth and Dean shook his head, unbelieving, “He just…gave it to you?”

Aaron nodded.

“Ah, come on.” Dean took a few steps towards him, his expression changing into a more knowing look, “He didn’t just give it to you, did he, Aaron?”

Aaron looked away, having a hard time looking Dean in the eyes and when he finally did, he changed his story, “I bought it.”

“You bought it?” Sam laughed and Jane looked up at him as he seemed to step out of the shadows, “With what? What’s your allowance?”

Dean ignored his brother and continued to question the boy, “What did the angel want for it? What did you give him for it?”

Aaron took a moment to answer, and when he did finally speak, none of them were really sure they were prepared for what he said, “My soul.”

Jane felt her eyes go wide and she looked right to Castiel for answers, and it seemed that Sam and Dean were thinking the same thing. People were selling their souls? Was this a normal occurrence in this life? Jane’s heart was racing, growing more and more curious and afraid of the life that she was born into as the brothers voiced the questions that they were all thinking.

“You sold your soul to an angel?” Sam said.

“Can that even happen?” Dean’s voice was barely audible and Jane’s eyes darted between the two.

“It’s never happened before.” Cas replied, a little dumbfounded himself as he looked down at the piece of staff in his hands, “An angel’s buying souls. That could explain why he cut the staff into pieces.”

“Why?” Jane spoke. She had meant to keep her curiosity to herself, keep quiet while the boys were working, but her mind got the better of her and Cas answered without a second thought.

“More pieces, more product.”

“More ‘product’? Who is this guy?” Dean said.

“We’ll find him.”

Cas placed two fingers on Aaron’s forehead, subduing him and letting his body fall limp in his arms and throwing him over his shoulder. Dean questioned him but as soon as the words left his lips they were back at the motel room where they started and Cas dropped Arron onto Sam’s bed.

“Cas, you realize you just kidnapped a kid?” Dean said.

“If the angel we seek truly bought this boy’s soul – when a claim is laid on a living soul, it leaves a mark, a brand.”

“What, like a shirt tag at camp?” Sam wondered. Jane furrowed her eyebrows and cocked her head to one side, looking up at the brothers for an explanation and Cas seemed to falter with his words.

“I have no idea. But I can read the mark and find the name of the angel that bought the soul.”

“How?” Dean asked.

“Well, painfully for him.” Cas began to roll up one of his sleeves as he spoke, “The reading will be excruciating.”

“Whoa, hold on. He’s a kid, Cas.” Dean protested, and when Cas didn’t seem to budge he turned to his brother but Sam merely stared back at him before turning to Cas.

“Any permanent damage?”

“What?!” Dean couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Physically, minimal.” Cas replied.

“Oh, well, then, by all means! Stick your arm right in there!”

“Dean! If I get the name, I can work a ritual to track the angel down.”

“And I’m all for that. But come on, there’s got to be another way.”

“There is no other way.”

“So, you’re gonna torture a kid?”

“I can’t care about that, Dean! I don’t have the luxury.”

The room fell silent at Cas’s confession and Jane’s eyes darted frantically. Everyone had gotten into such a fuss she couldn’t get a word in and she had no idea what was going on. She wanted to approach one of them, wanted them to explain but now it seemed she was going to get a visual representation of what was happening. Cas turned to the boy and reached his arm down into his belly. The boy began to call out in agony and Dean started forward but Sam grabbed his arm to stop him, only to have Dean yank it away. Jane sucked in a breath, covering her mouth with her hands. The boy’s screams were only getting louder and they were so painful, so excruciating, and Jane wanted nothing more than to make him stop. The screams continued on for what seemed like hours but was probably only a few seconds and when Cas finally pulled his arm out of the boy’s soul she let out a breath she didn’t even know she was holding. She suddenly felt sick to her stomach and was trying to take deep breaths to make it go away with no luck.

“He’ll rest now.” Cas said, pulling his sleeves back down to where they were supposed to be.

“Did you get a name? What is it?” Sam said. Dean looked up at his brother with an expression of disgust. Jane took a deep breath behind him and he turned back to her, pulling her into an embrace and letting her bury her face in his chest with one arm around her shoulders.

“I thought he died in the war.” Cas explained.

“What, he was a friend or something?” Sam said.

He sighed, “A good friend.”

“Yeah, well, your frat buddy is now moonlighting as a crossroads demon.” Dean said. He was holding tight to Jane who seemed to take comfort in his embrace but then it started again, the voices she heard the first time she woke up in the hospital. She lifted her head to get a better listen, her mind translating the language she didn’t even think she knew and she craned her head to listen better. They weren’t as jumbled this time, as if her mind was already getting used to the notion and Dean bent his head down to look at her.

“Balthazar. I wonder…” Castiel muttered under his breath, trailing out into his own thoughts and Dean held Jane at arm’s length. Cas and Sam turned their attention to her as Dean grew worried when she began muttering to herself and he was unable to make out the words.

“They’re coming.” She finally said aloud.

“What?” Dean looked at her but she whipped her head to the side when another presence made itself known in the room.

“Balthazar.” The man said, “Thanks, Castiel. We’ll make good use of the name.”

He started for Castiel, pulling a blade seemingly from nowhere and Dean pulled Jane out of the way as Cas pulled his own blade from his sleeve just in time to block his attacker. Dean, Sam, and Jane stood by watching helplessly as Cas defended himself against this new angel with the sound of metal against metal filling the air around them. Cas held his own, pushing his blocked sword against his enemy’s, looking him right in the eye and receiving a victorious smile.

“And by the way,” the angel said, “Raphael says hello.”

Castiel slung him around, away from him and his friends, but his plan backfired when the henchman appeared with both his and his own angel blade. He smirked and came at Cas with both weapons and was blocked by Castiel’s grabbing his wrists and shoving the blades out of his hands. He was jolted back and Jane called out as Cas ran at him and threw both him and himself out the window. Dean had hugged her close to keep her from getting in the line of fire but as soon as they heard the crash of the two angels hitting the ground and the sound of a car alarm she broke free and ran for the window with both brothers in tow. Down in the parking lot below, Castiel pulled himself from the roof of the car where the metal had bent around his impact, pushing himself upright and onto his feet. The other angel had already vanished by the time Sam, Dean, and Jane got to the window and Castiel looked up at them from the blacktop.

“My car.” Sam complained, looking down over Jane. She looked up at him then over at Dean who shrugged in response.

“Okay. Silver lining.” He said. Sam looked over at him and he simply gave him an innocent look in return while Jane remained out of the loop.

“He’s gone.” Castiel said behind them and they all looked back at him. He turned on his heel and started for the kitchenette of the motel room. He was frantically looking for something in the cabinets and didn’t seem to be having any luck.

“Cas, who was that guy?” Sam stuttered, his adrenaline still pumping from their surprise visitor.

“A soldier of Raphael. He must have followed me when I answered your call.”

“Raphael? The archangel?”

Cas didn’t answer him, pulling a mixing bowl from the last cabinet he checked and setting it on the table. Sam took a frustrating breath and shook his head, “I’m sorry, but what’s going on here?”

“I can explain later. Right now we have to – “ he started for the other side of the room but Dean stepped in front of him and put a hand on his chest.

“No, not later. Now. Stop, all right? There’s too many angels, Cas! I don’t know who’s on first what’s on second.”

“What is ‘second’?!”

“Don’t start that.”

“It is simple – Raphael and his followers, they want him to rule Heaven. I, and many others, the last thing we want is to let him take over. It would be catastrophic.”

“You’re talking civil war.” Sam put in.

“Technically, yes. Which is why we have to find Balthazar and his weapons before Raphael does.” Cas strode past Dean and over to Sam’s bag, still searching for the ingredients to the ritual he had mentioned before he was attacked, “Whoever has the weapons wins the war.”

“Help yourself.” The sarcasm was heavy in Sam’s voice and Jane was surprised to find that she had the urge to chuckle.

“And what happens of Raphael wins?” Dean said, “What does he want?”

“What he’s always wanted – to end the story the way it was written.”

“You mean the apocalypse, the one that we derailed?”

“Yes. That one. Raphael wants to put it back on the rails.”

Dean seemed a little shell-shocked, “Why?”

“I need myrrh.”

“Myrrh?” Sam questioned, but Cas vanished right before their eyes and the brothers sighed in frustration.

“Friggin’ angels.” Dean muttered. Jane turned to the two of them.

“You stopped the apocalypse?” she said, shocked and dumbfounded.

“Oh, if only you remembered.” Came Dean’s reply. He was about to move on but then he furrowed his eyebrows and turned to question her, “What was that back there? Were you tapping into angel radio?”

“Was I what?”

“It doesn’t surprise me that she can still here us.” Cas returned behind them and the three of them circled the table where he was drawing some sort of symbol for the ritual on the wood, “She’s still an angel, she’s just fallen.”

“Okay, but why would I do that? How? Why?”

“There are several reasons. You disobeyed, you were banished, you ripped it out yourself.”

“Ripped it out?” Jane’s eyes went wide, “That sounds awful.”

“It is. The pain is excruciating. Like searing heat eating you from the inside out.”

Jane stopped, memory flashes flooded her vision like getting smacked in the face by buckets of cold water. She remembered the heat, the pain, but now that she knew what it was it felt more real. She stumbled back and Dean steadied her.

“You okay?” he said. Cas was watched her for a moment and when she nodded her head he returned to his ritual.

“I’m fine.” She told Dean, “Just a little woozy from the teleporting I guess.”

He set her down in the chair next to Cas and Sam leaned on the back of the chair across the table, “Why does Raphael want to bring back all this crap?”

“He’s a traditionalist.” Cas explained.

“Cas, why didn’t you tell us this?”

“I was ashamed.” He shook his head, breathing heavy through his nose, “I expected more from my brothers.” He looked up with the most sincere look that he, being who he was, could give, “I’m sorry.”

Dean looked back at Sam, taking in the information that’d been given to him and Cas reached over and grabbed his wrist, “Now I need your blood.”

Dean hissed in protest as the knife ran across his palm, “Why don’t you use your own?”

“It wouldn’t work. I’m not human.”

Dean squeezed his hand until the bottom of the bowl was covered in his blood and he pulled away, eyeing Cas and wrapping his hand to stop the bleeding as the angel pulled a flask of holy water from his coat pocket, pouring it into the bowl and chanting in the same language that Jane heard in her head. She watched the ritual in pure fascination and waited patiently when Cas finished. He grew silent and police sirens wailed in the distance, making Sam and Dean nervous. Jane didn’t seem to notice, watching the steam come up from the bowl and Castiel’s bowed head, waiting for him to speak.

“Uh, Cas, how long does this spell take?” Sam said, but Cas remained silent, tilting his head to one side a moment before releasing a deep breath and opening his eyes.

“Got him. Let’s go.” He started around the table and Jane stood, ready and alert, as did Sam, however Dean wasn’t quite as confident.

“Wait, what about him?” he gestured to Aaron, still unconscious on the bed but Cas seemed unfazed by Dean’s worries.